Drawing

Drawing and other visual methods such as collage have an important role to play in every discipline, not just those such as art and design with which they are usually associated. For details of the Drawing Research Network Conference held at Brighton September 2010, please click here.

Among the many potential functions of drawing, the most common include:

Observational drawing - to sharpen perception and make rapid and accurate records of key data in almost any situation.

We have published a set of four A5 booklets to support the use of drawing in higher education, each addressed to a broad cluster of disciplines.They offer a brief introduction to the ways in which drawing and other visual methods may be used to support undergraduate and postgraduate learning and research. We hope the ideas and examples will encourage lecturers and supervisors to explore the possibilities in their own teaching. Click on the cover images or title list above to download the booklets. If you would like to discuss the ideas raised in the books, please contact the authors Pauline Ridley (p.ridley@brighton.ac.uk) and Angela Rogers (drawingdialogue@gmx.com). If you would like to receive one or more print copies for your own institution, please email p.ridley@brighton.ac.uk.

Drawing, observation and recording

Draw online workshop (aimed at adults aged 16 plus, includes plenty of drawing ideas, exercises and techniques). This is part of the generally excellent AccessArt website which also includes SketchbookSpace and other resources to support drawing.

Visual Directions A resource produced by the University of the Arts to support the use of sketchbooks for developing and documenting ideas [currently unavailable December 2013]

Picturing to Learn This project involves science students and faculty from Harvard, MIT, Duke University and Roxbury Community College, and is part of the Harvard Envisioning Science Program. It enables undergraduate students to clarify their own understanding of scientific concepts and processes by making freehand drawings to explain these concepts to non-experts. These drawings are also used as assessment tools.